Tappan Lake marina, restaurant renovation project complete

BY JD LONG (jim@harrisonnewsherald.com)

TAPPAN LAKE—The much-anticipated opening of the Tappan restaurant (Waters Edge Restaurant + Bar) is not happening until next April, but the Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District opened the doors for a media showing on Tuesday morning. And an open house is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 9 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. In addition, a ribboncutting is planned for the official April opening, though no exact date has been set yet.

“We’re excited that the MWCD asked us to do it,” said Shari Lewis, co-owner of Waters Edge. And Waters Edge’s other co-owner, Matt Donohoe, stated that the delay just aids them in opening the restaurant next April the way they want instead of rushing or having a partial opening now. Donohoe acknowledged how disappointed some have been and the feedback they’ve received with COVID being partly responsible.

MWCD’s Chief Engineer Boris Slogar stated that some of the construction delays were due to COVID, where many companies struggled with material and labor. The marina and restaurant originally had a June opening date, then it became late August. But Slogar said COVID began complicating things, and the construction pace wasn’t going to change. “They soldiered on and got it done,” he mentioned.

Chief of Recreation Ryan McCleaster said opening in the winter might be on the table, but traditionally, their marina restaurants close after the summer season. He stated some little items still needed to be completed, but for the most part, it’s finished. McCleaster showed off the magnificent kitchen area with a large rectangular window that will have a vinyl etching of sorts, where kitchen staff will be able to see out, but customers can’t see in. The etching will feature something historical of the Tappan Lake area.

The marina was shut down in October 2020, and renovations began in November 2020; it finally came to fruition in late August of this year. Slogar said the final cost for construction and renovations came to around 2% above budget but said it was typical for a project like this. The final number came to just above $4.5 million, with an additional $1 million for site improvements. The MWCD will also hold their next meeting — inside the new marina — on Oct. 22 at 9 a.m.